


Can I Assist You?

by Yayume



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26186548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yayume/pseuds/Yayume
Summary: Tsukishima is a regular in his local bookstore often spending most of his free time there studying or reading. One day a new employee catches his interest..
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49
Collections: TsukkiYama Week 2020





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This whole work spawned from an idea that @Bluemoon1275765 (Tsukki) tweeted out on Twitter and my Tadashi (@JumpFloatTada12) volunteered to write it with him. 
> 
> _Tsukishima going into the bookstore he visits regularly cause it’s quiet and Yamaguchi is the new employee and he just falls head over heels for Kei and he slowly gains interest in Yama and just..._
> 
> This work is all fluff and appropriate for all audiences. The only reason that this was written in the DMs was to avoid the character limit on public tweets.

The bookstore was quiet and peaceful. The very reason Tsukishima enjoyed going there. It was a nice place to read or do university work, or just relax. He visited frequently, finding time in his day to stop by while he studied. 

Today was no different. To him, it was just another day of studying and reading. Kei was unaware that there was a new employee just starting work. He made his way to the chair by the window, his favorite spot to sit. The view was nice, and it was convenient for him considering how close it was to the shelves of his favorite genre. 

Kei was very reserved, so he never really made any unnecessary interactions with the employees unless it had to do with checking out a book or asking about a new shipment. So it’s reasonable he didn’t notice anyone new. 

It was slightly colder than most days, so the blonde male wore a black turtleneck and round glasses. As he sat in ‘his’ spot, he sipped on the coffee he’d bought before going in. His laptop was placed on the small table in front of him, waiting to be used.

Yamaguchi has decided to take a part time job to help pay his way through uni. The green haired kid wasn’t really sure what he wanted to study while at college, so he decided to try a little bit of everything for now and just fit in all of the general studies courses out of the way. 

Today was his first day working his new job at the bookstore. Though he had a friendly smile on the outside, he was very nervous on the inside. He had been smart enough to pass the college entrance exam at the college near his home so he could save some money; however he didn’t really enjoy studying or reading for that matter. A job is a job, right?

Yamaguchi was making the rounds at the store checking in with customers as he was told to do and assisted with recommendations where he could. 

He turned the corner and found Kei sitting in his spot by the window. Since it was Yamaguchi’s first day, he was not aware of Kei as a regular or that he liked to keep to himself. The green haired boy approached Kei asking softly with a smile on his face because he didn’t want to be too much of a bother.

“Excuse me? Is there anything I can help you with?”

Kei turned his head away from the window, looking up at the green haired boy, blinking slowly. ‘Who is this? Is he new?’ He thought to himself. 

“Hm? Oh” Kei shook his head slightly. “No.” He spoke in a soft tone, turning to look back out the window. “Thank you though.” Kei added, sipping from his coffee.

A million thoughts went through his head. How has he never noticed the other male? When did he start working here? Other things such as that. He was curious, and wondered if it was in fact the first time they'd met.

“Are you new here? I’ve never seen you here before.” Kei asked, his tone laced with slight curiosity. The blonde kept his gaze towards the window however, only looking at the green haired boy from the corner of his eye. He pushed his glasses up gently.

Yamaguchi was internally beating himself up realizing by the way the customer replied that he was indeed a regular and Yamaguchi had just disturbed him. He stood there quietly hoping that the customer wouldn’t report him to his boss for being rude or something. It was his first day after all...talk about bad luck!

“I’m sorry for disturbing you. Please don’t hesitate to seek any of us staff out if you need anything.”

He bowed politely to the blonde and turned around starting to leave as the blonde addressed him again.

“Yes, I am new here, sir. It’s actually my first day.”

He turned around scratching the back of his green mess of hair with a nervous chuckle. He decided to venture closer to the customer a few steps and he caught a folder with the same sigil as the college nearby and the one he went to. Yamaguchi still didn’t recognize the customer because he’s only seen the back of his head to this point.

“Oh hey! I go to that college too. What are you studying?”

The green haired boy asked as he pointed at the folder Kei had left on the nearby table to his chair he sat.

Kei looked at the folder then back to Tadashi.

“Oh, well, I’m not really studying anything in particular, but I guess you could say a little bit of history and engineering.” He replied, turning to face the green haired male. He flipped open his laptop, suddenly remembering he’d forgotten to submit something. 

“So you said you go to the same college? What about you? What are you studying?”

He talked while he typed, his coffee now beside the laptop. He didn’t recognize the freckled boy due to his lack of attention to individuals at the school. 

Kei took his glasses off, pulling a glass wipe from his bag laying on the ground. He began cleaning, then his attention turned to Tadashi. He had to squint to see, which made him appear angry, but he tried not to scare the other away.

Yamaguchi kept the polite smile on his face as the patron spoke to him. He was a bit confused why Kei was striking up a conversation with him. It seemed like the customer came to this shop to get away and spend some time quietly reading...and yet here the blonde was still talking to him.

Yamaguchi would be lying if he said he wanted the blonde to stop, but yet Yamaguchi was also pretty intimidated by him. He got lost in his own thoughts nodding in response to what Kei said about his studies until the blonde asked him about what he was studying at the college.

“Oh...I...um...just picked this college because it was close to home to save me money since I’m paying my way through. Right now, I’m dabbling in a few things, though I’ve always been one who was curious about how things work, so I’ve been taking a few science classes here and there.”

He looked away from Kei, still a bit scared of him and worried that he’d get reported his first day. 

“I...um...well...I should let you get back to your reading. Sorry for disturbing you again!”

He said the last bit a little loud as he bowed a little too quickly and accidentally knocked Kei’s folder off the table as he came to an upright stand spilling his papers contained in it all over the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry...”

Tadashi said crouching down to start to pick up the spilled papers with a clear blush of embarrassment on his face.

Kei quickly put his glasses on and moved from his seat to the floor, kneeling to help pick up the papers. He felt bad for the new employee, he could tell the level of nervousness was high.

As he moved to the floor, Kei accidentally bumped into Tadashi’s shoulder.

“Sorry.” He apologized quickly but he didn’t move away. He felt a weird sense of comfort coming from the freckled male’s presence. 

Kei glanced up from the top of his glasses and noticed the blush. He couldn’t help it, but his face turned a light shade of pink. 

The things he felt, he wasn’t used to it. He felt, well, he didn’t know what he felt. All he knew was that the more he was around this stranger, the more he became interested. 

Kei turned his attention back to the papers, helping Tadashi until all of them were picked.

“I’ll have to organize these again..” he murmured to himself with a sigh “But it's alright. Just an accident..” he added.

Yamaguchi blushes again a bit deeper as their shoulders brush against each other. He looked away from the other, as he tried to hide it behind his mop of hair. As the hair fell forward, he had a tougher time seeing. He just continued to pick up papers on autopilot only stopping when there were none.

He handed his stack of papers back to Kei not noticing his fingers brush across Kei’s. He stood up brushing himself off. He then offered a hand to Kei so that the blonde could stand if he wanted. 

“Sorry for the additional work you’ll have. I really am...”

He bows quickly and starts to walk back to the register to see if they need help closer to the front of the store.

Kei had to restrain himself when Tadashi covered his face with his hair. He wanted so badly to tell him to move the green strands so Kei could see his red face, but he decided against it.

Once the papers were handed to him, he did notice the subtle touch of their fingers, but didn’t bother to say anything. He told himself not to think too much of it, which he didn’t. 

When Tadashi offered a hand, Kei took it, standing and setting the stack of papers on the table. 

He accepted the apology, wiping his hands on his pants from touching the ground. He was slightly peculiar about his hands being dirty.

“There’s no need to apologize, it was only an accident after all.” Kei replies, pushing his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. 

Kei was too focused on the stack of papers to remember to ask about the boy’s name before he walked away, leaving Kei to organize his paperwork.

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as Kei stood up and the blonde towered over him. The green haired boy was now feeling more intimidated and scared of the blonde than he had before he stood. The only other thing he could distinguish is that the blonde seemed around his age, but he didn’t bother asking.

After Tadashi left the blonde, his heart was racing and he ducked behind a bookshelf practicing some deep breathing to calm his heart and make the blush on his cheeks lessen.

Once he felt calmer, he ventured to the front of the store and he began assisting customers and his coworkers throughout the rest of his shift. Toward the end of his shift, his coworker had him behind the register teaching him how to use it.

Kei had organized his papers for the time being. Not as neat as he’d like them to be, but he was distracted. Intrigued, more like. Glancing at his watch, he realized he had been there way longer than he expected. He took a sip of his coffee, making a disgusted expression.

“Yeah, cold.” The blonde spoke out loud, gathering his things to put in his satchel. Once everything was picked up and the space was clean, he thought he’d browse the books on a search for a specific one.

After a minute, he found it. He brought the book up to the front counter quietly, around the same time Tadashi was learning about the register.

“Oh, it’s you from earlier.” Kei simply said, laying the book gently on the counter top. “How’s the first day?”

“Yeah, it’s...umm...me. I’m sorry for disturbing you earlier, sir. I didn’t realize that you were one of our regulars.” 

Tadashi said as he looked anywhere but at Kei because he was still very intimidated by the tall blonde in glasses. It didn’t help his nerves that he had his manager right beside him. 

Something about this blonde made his heart beat faster and it felt like he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs and continue breathing. However, unknown to Tadashi, what he thought were feelings of intimidation were actually the first stirrings of affection. He had had crushes in the past, yes, but nothing as strong as what he would eventually come to realize he felt for Kei.

“My first day was...well...a lot. I’m glad that it’s almost closing time.”

He spots the book on the counter as his eyes finally ventured to look up but still not directly at the blonde.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You wished to purchase this.”

He said taking the book in his hands and found the price before then setting it back down on the counter.

“That will be 750¥.”

Kei looked down at the freckled boy curiously. He noticed the slight nervousness in his voice. 

“First days are like that-“ Kei tilted his head a bit. “I don’t think I caught your name earlier”

The blonde stated as he counted money from his bag. He held it out for Tadashi, looking back up to him. 

His mind raced with curiosity about the shorter male. Kei wasn’t the type to be interested in others. In fact, he could care less. But there was something about this green haired boy that he just couldn’t put a finger on. 

He’s read many psychology books, and none of the knowledge about emotions came to him when he tried to think about why he felt the way he did. He definitely wasn’t used to the feeling.

He mistook it for just being anxious, unaware that it was actually something more...intimate, perhaps?

“Oh right...I must’ve forgotten to introduce myself when I asked if you needed assistance. I am sorry for that.”

The green haired boy bowed again politely as he gave the blonde both his changed and bagged book as he returned to an upright position from the bow.

“My name is Yamaguchi Tadashi, but that’s mouthful so people either call me by Tadashi or Yama.”

“I hope that you have a great evening, sir.”

He said with a wide smile and hand raised as if he was waving as the other decided to leave.

Kei bowed in response, standing up straight and taking the bagged book, putting it in his satchel along with the change.

“Tsukishima. My name is Kei but I’m only called that by my brother or mom.”

He wouldn’t mind this boy calling him by his first name, even though he wouldn’t admit it. He wanted to be sure that he could be good friends with him. He was very strict on the usage of his name. No one knows why, but he’s always been like that.

“Thanks. Have a nice evening.” 

The blonde dipped his head as he turned to leave. Pulling his headphones on, turning back and glancing over his shoulder before he walked out the door. 

The male pushed his glasses up, his back turned to the bookstore as he walked. He wasn’t one to smile a lot, but something about Tadashi made a small smile form as he made his way to his apartment.

Tadashi’s eyes followed the blonde as he walked out of the shop. Within an hour, the shop was closed and he was heading home after his first day of work. He reached his home and immediately plopped head first onto his bed. He was exhausted from the day and dreading having to motivate himself to complete his studying before he could pass out for the night. As he pulled out his class notes, he found himself thinking of Kei and if he’d be at the shop again when he worked next.

Unfortunately, Tadashi’s next shift wasn’t until Saturday rolled around and today was Monday. Tadashi finally closed his notes feeling like that was how much he could concentrate on studying tonight. Pretty soon he drifted off as Kei entered his dreams.

In his dream, Kei again was a customer at the shop and could be found in his spot, but as soon as Tadashi walked up to him the blonde turned to Tadashi with a warm and inviting smile. Tadashi was comforted by seeing such a smile.


	2. Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally Saturday, the day of Tadashi's next shift at the bookstore. Kei gets brave and gives Tadashi his contact information. Will Tadashi contact him or leave Kei waiting her his call?

The rest of the week passed in a blur of attending classes and tending to school work. Tadashi found to his disappointment that Kei wasn’t in any classes. That meant that the shop was possibly the only place they’d meet.

When he arrived at his opening shift, he straightened up the shop. As he got to the spot Kei normally occupied, Tadashi decided to leave a little note on the table beside the chair.

‘Hey Tsukishima-san,  
How was your week?  
-T’

Tadashi looked over his note a few times but decided that was sufficient enough; he’d better open up the store before other regulars get angry for the store not being open promptly at the time posted on their hours.

Everyday since, he’d check to see if the green haired boy was working when he’d go to the bookshop. But to Kei’s luck, he wasn’t working until the weekend. He wasn’t disappointed, he barely knew the smaller male. His interest was beginning to rise the more he thought about the freckled male. 

School was pretty slow it seemed like. It was normal for Kei. The highlight of his day would be going to the shop and studying while sipping on whatever coffee beverage he’d decided to get that day. 

While he was organizing the papers that were in the folder Tadashi had knocked off that table, he couldn’t help but think of the embarrassed blush along the freckles on Tadashi’s face. He shook his head to clear his mind to focus on his schoolwork.

Saturday came around, same day, same routine. Kei went to get his coffee first like always, maybe a quick bite to eat, then he made his way to the bookshop. 

Kei walked inside, headphones on. He went to his spot, going to set his coffee down on the table before he saw the note. He slowly set his coffee down and put his satchel on the ground, picking up the note and looking around after reading it.

Kei was looking for the one responsible, and he had a clue who it could be. So, he decided to wait until he saw the other to confront him about it.

Normally people thought he was mean. He didn’t understand why the freckled college student was being nice.

Tadashi continued about his day in the shop and was so busy he didn’t even get back to Kei’s spot until nearly closing time. A new book from a popular author had been released and the shop was busier than normal with people filing to buy it. He was constantly restocking the display table and assisting customers with other book recommendations that when he finally had his way seemed like a lull, he took a moment to zone out and just give his brain a break from the constant stimulation.

His feet continued to carry him through the store and before he knew it he was standing behind Kei’s chair. He finally was brought to reality and realized just exactly where his feet had taken him. He wasn’t sure what to do because he was pretty sure it was Kei still sitting in that chair, but despite his curiosity about the blonde and wanting to know more about him, Tadashi was frankly still scared of him. So here he stood awkwardly behind Kei’s spot unsure what exactly to say.

Kei had settled himself shortly after he found the note. He set it on his laptop, glancing at it occasionally as he wrote his paper for a class of his. All day, he had his headphones on. He looked up, seeing all of the people and made a disgusted look, eyes narrowed. He wasn’t too fond of people.

Kei was almost tempted to leave, but he decided not to mess up his daily routine. He read the book he purchased yesterday, his music playing in his headphones. They were white and had little moons on the side.

By the time Tadashi had made his way to behind Kei’s chair, the blonde was deep in reading. He didn’t sense anyone around him like he usually does. 

Normally, he’s quiet. But today he was a little excited. He had a break from classes for a few days since he was so ahead. So today he decided to celebrate by humming the song he was listening to, which was very rare for him.

Tadashi ventured a few more steps closer and that’s when he noticed that Kei’s headphones were in. Had it not been for the hour of the day and time drawing closer and closer to closing time, he thought it might be acceptable to disturb the blonde.

Tadashi felt his mouth draw up into a smile as he heard Kei start to hum along to whatever he was listening to. Tadashi couldn’t quite make out what the blond was humming since it was so soft, but Tadashi almost felt bad tapping him on the shoulder.

“Excuse me...we’ll be closing the store in fifteen minutes. I apologize for disturbing you, again.”

Kei flinched a little, pulling his headphones off, glancing at the watch in his wrist. He had been paying too much attention to the book, losing track of time. He was already late for the next leisure activity on his daily schedule.

“Oh, look at the time. I hadn’t even realized. My apologies. By the way, my week was decent. How was yours?”

Kei took the note from his pocket, having put it away in his pants pocket earlier when he put his laptop up. The blonde unfolded it, holding it up to show Tadashi. The male pushed up his glasses, smiling softly at the other and eyes gleaming behind the lenses.

Tadashi was about to reply to the blonde when he saw him reach in his pocket and unfolded his note he’d left on the table.

Tadashi’s cheeks immediately turned a shade of pinkish red as he was forced to look at his handwriting staring back at him. He wasn’t sure why he had written that note and while he knew the blonde would just look at him smugly like he is now.

“Oh that...well I don’t think it’s really special enough to keep.”

He said softly as he felt his cheeks grow warm and he looked down at his sneakered feet because looking Kei in the eyes intimidated him.

“My week was uneventful. I just studied for my classes and then came to work today. I’m glad your week was decent. Anything that would have exceeded your decent rating?”

Kei stood up slowly, folding the note and putting it back into his pocket. He had no intention to get rid of it. It was a little reminder that the green haired boy was curious about the blonde male.

“I think I’ll keep it. As far as making my rating better, I think you could help with that. All I need is for you to answer something.”

The blonde grabbed his things, the strap of his satchel going over his head and resting on his shoulder. Kei stood in front of Tadashi, leaning down to eye level in front of him.

“Why do you look down when I look at you?” 

His voice was calm, and he asked it as a genuine question. Was he that intimidating to everyone else, too?

Tadashi felt his cheeks grow really warm and his heart began to race slightly as Kei stood right in front of him, head bent down to look Tadashi in the eyes.

“You need ‘me’ to answer something for you....”

Tadashi swallowed hard as he found his eyes meeting the blonde’s behind his glasses.

“I...um...why do I look down, you ask...? You...well...make me feel...r-really nervous when you are so close. Frankly...y-you are rather...intimidating...?”

He looks up at Kei again, swallowing hard. 

“Why do you care? I’m just someone who works here in the book shop you study and read in.”

Kei smirked slightly, his gaze intense but soft at the same time. He adjusted his glasses.

“Hm. Intimidating, huh? I get that a lot. But what could you mean by ‘nervous’? Is it due to the intimidation?”

The blonde asked curiously, finding his own heart beat slowly starting to pick up a pace due to being that close to Tadashi. 

He wasn’t sure why, but the longer he was around the freckled boy, the more he became interested in him. 

“Well, you’re not -just-someone who works here. I actually have an interest in you. You should feel special. I don’t tend to show any curiosity towards anyone else.”

“I...um...think so..”

He said shyly, having trouble forming words while being forced to keep eye contact with the other. He had to be slow and polite, that's what the manager looked for. He was an employee and this was a customer. Why did this blonde cause him to get like this though..?

“I think you need your glasses cleaned...I’m not special. I’m just some part time worker. You really seem like the type of person that keeps to himself. I rambled on...I’m sorry...”

“Normally, I do keep to myself. But there’s something about you that draws me to you. Wanting to learn more in a sense.”

Kei replied, looking at the time on his watch. He huffed, turning his attention back to Tadashi’s eyes. He stood up straight, looking down at the freckled male. 

“I must go now. But I hope to see you around.”

Kei smiled politely, bowing a little before turning to walk away. He stopped, looking over his shoulder and pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, setting it on the table. It had his contact information on it. Kei wanted to be friends with the dark haired boy. He figured giving him his number wouldn’t be a bad idea. 

“Oh, don’t be so nervous. I’m just an ordinary person who reads and studies at the shop you work at.”

And with that, he left.

“Oh...right it is that time of night...”

Tadashi had been lost and distracted by the eyes looking down at him. Who was this guy? Did he get off by intimidating people or something? Tadashi also wondered what he did to warrant this blonde’s attention. It’s not that Tadashi hated it, but he wasn’t sure he liked it either.

“I mean I work here when they schedule me, so...I guess I’ll be here...on Wednesday I think.”

He said eyeing the blonde as the tall one laid a note on the table and then left. The blonde was sure strange...Tadashi thought as he shook his head after the other left.

He at first thought that Kei had left Tadashi’s note on the table but he didn’t. In fact he was blinking at what was left...a set of numbers that made up a phone number as well as an email. It looked like one from school but it still was a form of communication. Did Kei have a thing for him but want to mess with him? Is that why he left the contact information? Tadashi was so confused. He took the note placing it in his pocket and began closing the store.

About an hour later he returned home and plopped on his bed exhausted. He didn’t know what was worse, his electronics assignment or the fact one of his customers seemed overly interested in him. 

Tadashi sighed as he turned over and the note fell out. His eyes scanned over the numbers and struggled with what to do. At this point he wasn’t sure he wanted to encourage the behavior but he also couldn’t bring himself to completely ignore the note either.

If he didn’t contact Kei, he'd probably hear it the next time he worked as to why he didn’t and he thought that would be much worse...

Kei finished some errands that day, thinking about the dark haired male. He didn’t know why, but something about him just attracted his attention. Kei went shopping for groceries for the week, mindlessly wandering around the store. He wasn’t entirely sure why he’d left his number and email. Kei knew the boy probably wouldn’t contact him.

“Don’t think too much about it, Kei. It’s not like you have known him your whole life.”

The blonde told himself, shaking his head as he made his way to the checkout line. While the items were being scanned, he pulled his wallet from his satchel, the folded note coming out with it. 

Kei adjusted his glasses and looked at the note, putting it away in one of the card holders of the wallet. He paid for the items, taking his bags and walking home. He didn’t live too far from the store, so it was convenient since he didn’t necessarily need to pay for gas for a car. It saved him money.

The walk back helped clear his mind. Once he arrived at his apartment, he set the bags down, going straight to his room and landing on his back on the mattress of his bed. The blonde took his glasses off, staring up at the blurry ceiling. 

Kei sighed. He had no idea why this person brought him this much curiosity and interest. Maybe he shouldn’t have given out his information like that. His arm covered his face as his eyes closed, glasses in hand.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Tadashi continued to look at the note and turned it over and over in his fingers. Sending him a message couldn’t hurt right? Right?

Tadashi kept contemplating what he would do for a while longer until he finally decided that even a simple hello was harmless enough.

He punched the numbers in his phone and saved it under the contact name ‘Mr. Intimidating’ Now the question was would just a one word message do or would he be made fun of...

[SMS to Mr Intimidating]

‘Hey!’

The phone in Kei’s pocket vibrated, which made the blonde jump a little. He put his glasses on and sat up. What he wasn’t expecting was a message when he pulled it from the pocket and turned it on. 

“Oh? Is this the employee?” He thought out loud to himself, opening the simple message.

[SMS to New Number]

‘Hey. Yamaguchi, right?’

He sent the reply, saving the number in his contacts as ‘Yamaguchi’. The blonde figured he’d change it later once he found a suitable nickname.

Tadashi had thrown his phone to the other side of his bed as soon as he had sent the message. He knew it was just some silly hello message, but it didn’t stop himself from blushing so much that he felt his cheeks grow warm.

A soft ping awakened the silence of him sitting in his room. That meant he had a new message. He knew exactly who it was, but he had a small bit of hope that it wasn’t ‘him’. He wasn’t sure how he’d respond to whatever was said. 

He let his phone sit for a few moments before crawling over to where on the bed he’d thrown his phone and finally open it heart pounding as he did.

‘1 new message from Mr. Intimidating’ flashed on his phone screen.

Unlocking his phone, he read the message and sat there for a few more long messages before he decided to finally send something back.

[SMS to Mr. Intimidating]

‘Yeah, it’s Yamaguchi. I figured I’d check to see that you gave me a real number...’

He hit send blinking as he reread the message after it was sent. What did he just do? Did he flirt with Kei? The bigger question is did he actually want to do such a thing?

Kei hadn’t looked away from his phone. While he waited for a response, if there was going to even be one, he decided to go listen to the new song from his favorite artist.

After several moments, a notification popped up, from ‘Yamaguchi’. He tapped on it, opening the messages. His head tilted and a small smile crept up on his lips.

[SMS to Yamaguchi]

‘Why wouldn’t I? I know people find me rude but I wouldn’t do that to you.’

He sent it, cursing himself for sending it so soon after receiving it. He didn’t want to seem desperate. 

“Well, it’s sent now.” He rolled his eyes, turning off the phone and placing it screen-side up. He laid back down, on his stomach this time and he closed his eyes. 

What was this feeling he had? Why did he want to continue texting this person? What about him was so special that made Kei fascinated?

Tadashi was in the process of setting his phone away from him when it vibrated in his hand. His screen flashed on with a notification: ‘1 new message from Mr. Intimidating’. 

Tadashi left the message unread long enough that the phone pinged again startling him so badly that he dropped his phone on the floor in front of him with a crash. Lucky for him, his phone was in a case and only the screen appeared slightly cracked.

Opening the message, he felt his heart beating so hard he was afraid it would beat right out of it. Tadashi wasn’t sure what to make of the reply.

Was Tsukishima making fun of his poor flirting attempt? Or was it Tsukishima was also flirting back with him? No, that couldn’t possibly be right...

[SMS to Mr. Intimidating]

‘Wouldn’t do that to me? I don’t see what makes me special...’

He hits send without thinking. Tadashi then panics as he quickly reads over what he had just sent in reply.

Oh no...he was flirting...wasn’t he? Why? He couldn’t answer fully. What about Tsukishima made him feel like this?

Kei’s phone dinged, and he waited a moment before he grabbed the phone, turning it in and opened his eyes to read the message. 

[SMS to Yamaguchi]

‘You seem like a nice guy and so far you haven’t bothered so far.’

Tsukishima presses send, ignoring the part about Tadashi not seeing what was special about him. He couldn’t answer that himself. But he wanted to find out. 

“Maybe his cute freckles. Or his gorgeous eyes.” Kei thought to himself, and before he realized it, he found himself thinking about earlier when he had been oh so close to the dark haired boy.

He pulled a hand under him to place between his chest and the mattress. He felt the pounding in his chest for a moment. Every time he thought of Yamaguchi, his heart raced. Kei wasn’t sure why, but he’s starting to get a clue. 

He did just make an attempt at flirting without realizing it. Well, his version of flirting, that is.

Tadashi hadn’t even set his phone down before he felt the vibration and ping that he’d received a new text. He sighed and knew that it could be only one person.

Why did Tadashi feel so nervous when he got another message from the other? He couldn’t honestly answer. He also couldn’t understand why Tsukishima was wanting to talk to him, Tadashi wasn’t anything special. Yet here they were...

As he thought of a reply, Tadashi found himself wandering to those eyes of Tsukishima’s. They felt like they were peering into Tadashi's soul when they looked at him. Despite first appearing intimidating, Tadashi thought that he also saw some sadness or perhaps loneliness behind those eyes and Tadashi couldn’t help but want to turn his own eyes to look up at them. 

[SMS to Mr. Intimidating]

‘I don’t bother you? Well that may change as you decide to get to know me better...’

He hit send not sure why he was being so down on himself with the blonde but it was how he honestly felt. All his life up to about his college days, Tadashi had been bullied by his peers; mostly due to his freckles. He didn’t really have friends let alone know what it was like to have someone crushing on him. He was still trying to decide if he liked it or if that was what Tsukishima actually felt for him.

The phone vibrated, but Kei had noticed yet. He was still feeling his heartbeat. Eventually, he rolled over onto his back, holding the phone up to see the notification when he turned it on.

“Has he always doubted himself?” He asked himself out loud, answering the text.

[SMS to Yamaguchi]

‘Maybe you shouldn’t think like that. I decided I want to be friends with you. If I was just going to change my mind later on then I wouldn’t have given you my contact information.’

The text was sent, and he sat up, remembering he had groceries.

He stood, putting the phone in his pocket and removing the shirt he wore. He lived alone so he didn’t mind walking around shirtless. Not that it matters.

While he put the groceries away, his thoughts wandered back to the smaller male. Why did he keep thinking of him? He’s never really thought about anyone this much, not even his family.

He always kept to himself, talking only when necessary and not making any unneeded conversation with anyone. Well, he would talk when making smart remarks or sarcastic comments but he found it necessary so it counted. Defense is a natural instinct after all.

Tadashi had flopped back on his bed with a big sigh wondering why he had replied to Kei with such honesty. He wasn’t one to show his unconfident side to anyone, let alone someone that was still practically a stranger.

Tadashi knew that it was past his bedtime as he had class tomorrow, but now that he had started the conversation he wasn’t sure he couldn’t sleep.

A slight smile spread across his lips as he read Kei’s reply. He let out a breath seeing he hadn’t completely scared the other away. To be fair, Tadashi wasn’t sure anything could scare Tsukishima...

[SMS to Mr. Intimidating] 

‘This...may seem a bit strange, and feel free to say no...but would you be up for meeting me at the park by campus? I know it’s late so feel free to say no...’

Tadashi hit send throwing on a hoodie and left his apartment heading for his usual bench in the park. If Tsukishima actually wanted to join him he’d find him.


	3. Third Meeting

The blond finished with the groceries, everything put away. The screen lit up, the dim light shining through his pocket. 

He took the phone out, reading the message as he blindly navigated his way back to his room. He read the text, stopping in his tracks in the middle of the room. Putting the phone back away, leaving the message read but unanswered.

He went to his closet and picked out a comfortable hoodie and slipped it on. He didn’t bother for a shirt, he didn’t want to keep Tadashi waiting long.

The text remained unanswered as he grabbed his keys, shoes on and ready to go. He left to go find Tadashi at the park.

Walking, he had his hands in his hoodie pockets. He’d read over the text at least four times to make sure he knew for sure where the dark haired male wanted to meet up.

Tadashi was sitting on a bench just past the clearing of the tree lined entrance to the park. He sat looking up at the full moon as it shone down brightly on his face. 

Whenever Tadashi was stressed out and doubting himself, he’d always come down to this park and look at the moon surrounded by some stars that shone brightly despite all of the light pollution around him. Staring at the night sky, especially the moon calmed his mood. Sometimes he would even talk to the mood itself. This was unknown to Tsukishima as he walked up behind Tadashi.

“Good night, Tsukki-san. You never fail to bring a smile to my face on my worst days...”

A smile spread across Tadashi’s face until it was so wide that his eyes closed.

Kei:  
Tsukishima had just walked up to him when he spoke. He had just gotten there and there was no way he could’ve known he was there. He didn’t even say he was coming.

But he said part of his name, which only confused him. 

“But we only met not too long ago. Did you fall for me that quickly?”

Kei asked, coming around the beach and taking a seat beside Tadashi, making sure to keep a good distance between them to keep either of them from being uncomfortable.

“Did I interrupt something?” The blond questioned, his gaze settling on the other, seeing the smile Tadashi wore.

Tadashi blushes deep red, nearly spreading over his entire face when he sees Tsukishima sitting next to him on the bench. His heart was thrusting to beat out of his chest and he guessed that Tsukishima could probably hear it despite the distance between them.

It took Tadashi a full minute to process what Tsukishima was even referring to when he asked about if Tadashi had fallen for him. When Tadashi did, he let out a loud laugh.

“You are pretty confident in yourself, aren’t you? That’s something I wish I had more of...”

He muttered, turning his eyes back up to the full moon still smiling.

“You see when I’ve had a bad day or I’m feeling very down on myself I come here. Something about looking up at the night sky and especially the moon surrounded by its stars makes me feel better. I know it maybe seems illogical or stupid to you...”

He paused, pressing his hands together nervously as he looked down at his feet trying to calm the beating of his heart.

“I didn’t realize when you told me your name that you had the word ‘moon’ in it. I sometimes talk to the moon when I feel upset. However if you’d like me to call you Tsukki-san as well, I could. I just don’t know if it’s too cute of a nickname for a tough guy like you.”

Tadashi grinned as he turned back to look at Tsukishima and playfully punched the other’s arm from where he sat.

Kei looked up at the moon as he listened. He could understand why the other felt better when looking at the beautiful night sky. It was comforting in it’s own little way.

When Kei felt the playful punch in his arm, he looked over with a shy smile.

“I’m no tough guy.” He chuckled, “I may seem like it, but I’ve got my own issues. But..the nickname. I like it. Yes, it’s cute. Coming from you though, I like the sound of it.”

The blond admitted, playing with his fingers like he usually does when he’s nervous. 

“Did you think I wouldn’t show up? You can be honest.”

The bigger male asked curiously, pushing his glasses up, keeping that small smile.

“If you truly want me to be honest, I left the offer open. I didn’t know if you’d be asleep by now or not. I still just sent the message to invite you to my special place. You since I know yours...”

Tadashi grinned wide again at Tsukki before turning his eyes back up to the moon to soak in its light causing his eyes to sparkle a little and his freckles look a bit like stars in the light from Tsukki’s view.

“I can tell from your replies that you wonder why my confidence is so low. And I sorta wanted to tell you it all in person, because there is something that tells me you still won’t push me away if I tell you.”

He paused, releasing a breath closing his eyes pressing his hands together a few times before he turned back to look at Tsukki.

“So...I guess...I have been bullied for practically as long as I can remember. At first, it was over my appearance, especially my freckles on my face. When I got to high school, I was outed by someone whom I trusted and thought was a friend. I barely attended class after that. The school did allow me to graduate by turning in all of my work to my homeroom teacher. I used this university to start over away from everything that hurt me. So far, I think it’s been a pretty good start...”

The shining in Tadashi’s eyes brought happiness to Kei. “It’s a nice place to be. And if I was going to push you away, I wouldn’t have shown interest in the first place.” 

He responded softly. Kei listened, focused on him as he told his story. He felt anger rising inside of him, but he kept it suppressed. It was all in the past, but still, he couldn’t help but get upset.

“I see. So you were bullied by the freckles all over your face? I don’t see why. I find them beautiful if I’m being honest.”

The blond admitted, taking his glasses off and using the sleeve of his hoodie to clean the lenses.

“I can’t fix the past, but I can make sure that it doesn’t happen again. You say that you think it has been a pretty good start so far, right? Then, if trouble does come up, just give me a call or shoot a message. Or come find me depending on where you are at the time.”

He tells the other, putting his glasses back on. His expression was serious, and his words were full of truth.

Tadashi:  
Tadashi’s eyes couldn’t look away from Kei as the blonde listened to all that Tadashi had to say and then he couldn’t believe his ears as the words left Tsukki’s lips. Tadashi wondered if this was all some long dream that he’d wake up from tomorrow and life would be the same nightmare that it always had been for him, lonely and friendless?

Yet here Tsukki sat right beside him, telling him that it was okay to be who he was and if someone said differently Tsukki would be there to protect him.

As the words continued to sink in, Tadashi felt his vision blur as tears began welling up in his eyes. His face collapsed into both of his hands as he allowed himself to cry. He had never let himself show such emotions in front of anyone since he was bullied and yet Tsukishima saw it all. 

Once he finally got a hold of his emotions a little, Tadashi’s slightly red eyes turned back to meet Tsukishima’s. 

“Tsukki...thank you...” was all Tadashi could manage in his still emotionally state but the blonde seemed intelligent enough to Tadashi to be able to know just what the freckled boy meant by those few words he managed to say.

Kei:  
It became clear why Kei had these feelings that he has been experiencing lately. Not only did the freckled boy catch Kei’s attention, he felt the need to protect him. Even from the beginning when they first met. 

He was drawn to him, as he’s realized before. He pulled his sleeve over the palm of his hand, wiping Tadashi’s cheek softly. He gave the male a reassuring smile that read he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

He dipped his head in response to Tadashi’s ‘thank you’, pulling his hand back. 

Kei didn’t have many friends through his grade school days. Nor did he have friends at his current time in university. His snarky remarks and sarcastic nature made him unlike-able to most. 

“I’m your friend, right? It’s what friends do.”

The blond tried to convince himself that’s all he wanted to be. Just friends. He had only met this person not that long ago, so it’s not possible to like someone in a way that’s more than just friends that soon.

Right?

Tadashi’s eyes widened as he saw Tsukki leaning in. Could he have give the blonde the wrong idea with what he said? Was Tsukki going to take advantage of the situation? Tadashi then noticed as Tsukki’s shirt sleeve got closer that he was reaching out to wipe Tadashi’s face of the tears he’d cried. The action almost made him start crying again.

“‘F-f-friends’? You really mean it? Like you aren’t just saying it because I told you about my sad and lonely life, right? I don’t want you feeling sorry for me. Hell, I’ve coped with being alone for this long now...I-I...”

Tadashi stopped as his voice shook before it cracked. Why was he feeling the need to push away the one person who ever seemed to show him any sort of kindness? Was that the reason why? Was he worried that Tsukki would come to hate him like everyone else? The years of trauma up until now was a good answer. He just hoped that Tsukki would be willing to wait for as long a Tadashi took to feel comfortable with the idea that he actually had a friend.

Which, in fact, Kei took into account. He knew how sensitive the subject of friends was just from what he heard not too long ago. He knew it would take time to prove he wasn’t like the others. The idea of leaving hadn’t even crossed his mind. When normally, it would have.

“I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that. I don’t have many people I consider close, so if I say you’re my friend then I mean it.”

His reply was blunt, but brutally honest. The blond didn’t want to rush Tadashi to accept the fact that he wasn’t going anywhere. Time will show it.

“So two friendless people become friends with each other...”

Tadashi turned his eyes back up to the full moon now shining directly above the two of them. With only looking at Tsukki from the corner of his eye, the green haired boy scooted closer to Tsukki until there was only less than an inch separating them. 

“Tsukki...is it okay...if I rest my head on your shoulder?”

Tadashi asked blushing as he looked down at his feet as he pressed his hands together clearly nervous to even ask such a thing.

Tadashi leaned a little closer until his head rested on Tsukki’s upper arm instead of his shoulder due to his height. Tadashi let out a pleased sigh as he closed his eyes feeling a sense of calm similar to when he looked up at the moon. Perhaps, it wasn’t a coincidence that the one he was also resting his head against also was called ‘Moon’.

Of course, as Tadashi moved closer, Kei’s face began to heat up. It wasn’t noticeable yet, he knew how to play it cool.

His face was turned up to look at the night sky, but his gaze was focused on the green strands of hair against his arm.

“You don’t have to ask such a question. If it feels like what you need, then so be it.” His response was cool and calm. 

It was true. He honestly believed that if it would give the freckled male comfort or make him feel better, then Kei was all for it. 

Tsukishima clasped his hands together, placing them neatly in his lap. He moved his one arm slowly so as to not bother Tadashi.

The blond turned his attention to somewhere beside Tadashi, turning his head to look at nothing. He just wanted to see the green haired boy better.

‘This is nice. This isn’t...lonely.’ Kei thought to himself, smiling softly.


End file.
